The present invention generally relates to boxing training devices. More specifically, this invention relates to support means for tethered punching bag training devices.
Various support means for punching bag training devices are disclosed in the prior art which provide for free swinging and turning of a punching bag and/or vertical adjustment of a punching bag. Such devices facilitate the training of a boxer in the different punches of the sport. Vertically adjustable punching bags are also adaptable for the training of boxers of different heights. In U.S. Pat. No. 818,604 to Bierd a punching bag support is disclosed which comprises a bag supporting hanger threadedly attached to a bearing ring, said bearing ring being rotatably engageable with a support bracket that is fixedly attachable to a ceiling or other like surface. The bag supporting hanger is constructed in a manner to permit the suspension of a punching bag therefrom by a rope or rod. A similar punching bag support is described in U.S. Pat. No. 1,050,501 to Walter which reduces wear on the suspended rope as it swings back and forth by securing one end of the support rope to a hollow ball seated within a tubular member. Vacuum cup punching bag mounting means are described in U.S Pat. No. 3,226,116 to Klingler. While these punching bag support means of the prior art permit pendulum rotation and axial turning of a punching bag, they are not adaptable for the training of boxers of different height or for training for opponents of varying height. Furthermore, training on punching bags so supported is generally limited to speed training due to the rapid pendulum movements of the bag.
Vertically adjustable punching bag supports and boxing training devices that permit striking of a bag from different positions are also known in the prior art. In U.S. Pat. No. 1,851,649 to Schindler an adjustable punching bag is disclosed having a bag suspended from an elastic cord that is attached to a vertically adjustable support line by means of a slidably mounted carrier device. The support line is detachably securable at its ends to a wall or like surface and includes stops selectively disposed upon said support line to limit the lateral movement of said carrier device along said support line. In U.S. Pat. No. 2,625,356 to Kennedy et al. there is disclosed an adjustable punching bag training device comprising, in combination, a slidably mounted rod telescoped in a base post, a horizontally-extending platform attached to said rod, and a punching bag suspended from said platform. In U.S. Pat. No. 4,257,589 to Outlaw there is disclosed a handle and cleat adjustment structure for vertical adjustment of a suspended training device. Furthermore, none of the punching bag supports of the prior art, except for the Schindler invention, permit a bag to be punched while moving laterally. Generally, the adjustable punching bags of the prior art also change the bag's reflex time when the tethered supporting rope or rod is adjusted to various lengths. These and other limitations of the prior art are overcome by the invention of the present disclosure.